[Yo-Yo]

People who use black powder "front stuffers" (muzzle loaders) used to have only one way to clear the weapon if loaded: firing it.

And if you forget to put a powder charge in behind your ball?

There has always been a way to unload a muzzle loader without firing. It's called a worm. It screws onto the end of your ramrod and you use it to pull the ball.

[Uri’el-2012]

This is a patch puller not a ball puller.

[PeteB570]

The worm is used for cleaning - and retrieving lost patches - not for bullet pulling.

Here is the screw.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/115714/cva-black-powder-bullet-puller-50-caliber

[dblshot]

There has always been a way to unload a muzzle loader without firing. It's called a worm. It screws onto the end of your ramrod and you use it to pull the ball. Many moons ago I reported on a ship and was being oriented to watchstander duties. We were taking soundings of fuel tanks through a pipe from the main deck that reaches almost to the bottom of the tank. The Petty Officer breaking me in said you have to add six inches to the readings on some of these tanks because the brass striker broke off the sounding tapes before and is still down there. I said why don't you get it out and he laughed, said we'll have to wait to drydocking and gas freeing the tanks to get in there. I made one of these little worms with coat hanger wire dropped it down and snagged the broken tapes no proplem fishing out the six inch long bobbers along with the tape. They looked at me like I was some kind of freak when I broght them all 3 bobbers in about 30 minutes of work.